Hi, Im kinda new here mostly been lurking because I havent had much to contribute that would be of any value, but I thought this might be beneficial to some.
I wanted to review my recent Fanatec Porsche Turbo S (PWTS in Fanatec terminology) wheel purchase, along with how it plays with my Wheel Stand Pro and several PS3 games. In researching buying the PWTS, I found most of the reviews and observations were based on beta test wheels and/or early production wheels and used the Clubsport pedals. Most of the orders were pre-orders, so the wait was long, and everyone seems to play on the Xbox or PC. Additionally, there was very little info on how the Fanatec would work with the Wheel Stand Pro most reviews that featured a wheel stand understandably used the Fanatec Rennsport Wheelstand.
If you read all the forum comments about this wheel you will get the idea they are great when they work but have all sorts of quality control issues and customer service nightmares. It is enough to scare people off especially with the cost of the product. My thoughts are this is a very small company that went through some growing pains and most of the negative comments come from early adopters and beta testers who were working out all the problems but once this is done, a new customer should be getting an improved product and faster service. I seem to remember Act-Labs having similar issues when they released their Force RS wheels.
So, if you are interested in a perspective from a very recent Fanatec customer, with standard pedals, using exclusively the PS3, and recycling my Wheel Stand Pro from its prior job supporting my DFGT this is the place!
My background in the USA, 38 years old wife, kid, dog, house, full time job. Gaming is a very recent addition I got the PS3 at Christmas in 2009. Prior to that the last gaming console I had was an Atari 2600 (when they were new!). Last driving games I played were about 10 years ago on the PC mostly rally games. I had an Act-Labs Force RS with shifter. Then real life caught up and games went goodbye.
Now I have rediscovered my love of driving games and have been playing since the PS3 arrived at Christmas. I bought a DFGT and have enjoyed using it. I have never used a G25 or G27, so all my comparisons from the Fanatec are against the DFGT. The games I have are GT5P, NFS Shift, Grid, Ferrari Challenge, Supercar Challenge, Burnout Paradise, Dirt, Dirt 2, and Superstars V8 Next Challenge. I drive a manual transmission car in real life (BMW), but have used auto mode mostly so far in gaming. Playing in the living room on a 50 Samsung Plasma 1080p TV with 5.1 surround. I have never played online, because liking to drive in video games and being good at it are two different things Im still learning! IMO: Driving a virtual car fast is much harder than driving a real car fast because of the limited feedback you have.
So for the first installment of my review, here is the ordering experience: I placed my order at the USA webshop late in the afternoon on Friday 3/19, had an order shipping e-mail from Fanatec on Monday morning, a UPS tracking number soon followed, and the wheel arrived on Friday 3/26 in the morning. Exactly one week start to finish from California to Ohio not bad. The wheel was triple boxed two brown cardboard layers + the retail box with pictures and graphics. All the parts inside were secured with cardboard, plastic, and foam. Nothing missing. Quick start guides and drilling template were included.
Initial impressions were that the wheel seemed very well built and looked high-end.
Wheel: The motor casing was much smaller than it looks like in pictures maybe even smaller than the DFGT case. The wheel rim is nice and thick the diameter is slightly larger than the DFGT but not a huge difference.
Pedals: I bought the all in one pack that had the shifters and the standard pedal set the Clubsports are overkill even beyond the PWTS for my needs! The standard pedals are very large compared to the DFGT the spacing between pedals is better. The Fanatec pedals are very light they feel like a toy if you don't bolt on the included steel plate. I can see how they would slide around if not hard-mounted to a stand.
Shifters: The shifters look okay but the H-pattern shifter is everything you have read it was on the forums cheap feeling, hard to shift, and makes a loud click. If I start using it in games, I would invest in the upcoming Clubsport shifter if the price is reasonable. But right now I suck at shifting in games. Actually from the very limited use I had had with this wheel, shifting and clutch work feels natural but I forget to brake I have been left foot braking in video games, and even though I don't in real life I'm struggling with the transition in the virtual world. Anyway the H-pattern is somewhat of a letdown but it wasn't a surprise based on prior reviews. There is an interesting thread on a Forza forum with instructions to modify the shifter for easier shifting I might try that and post the results in a later installment of this review. Nothing really to the sequential shifter it is easy to use and feels about the same as the one on the DFGT. The paddle shifters are the black ones apparently these were redesigned from the prior silver "Clubsport" paddles last year. They are okay but nothing spectacular. Like the paddles on the DFGT they get the job done. They are small and might get in the way depending on your grip on the wheel I haven't noticed any issues yet but I have barely an hour of wheel time in.
Next up Why the Turbo S instead of the GT3RS, impressions on functionality compared to the made for PS3 DFGT, and mounting the PWTS to the Wheel Stand Pro.
Let me know if you think this is worthwhile info. Thanks,
Aaron
I wanted to review my recent Fanatec Porsche Turbo S (PWTS in Fanatec terminology) wheel purchase, along with how it plays with my Wheel Stand Pro and several PS3 games. In researching buying the PWTS, I found most of the reviews and observations were based on beta test wheels and/or early production wheels and used the Clubsport pedals. Most of the orders were pre-orders, so the wait was long, and everyone seems to play on the Xbox or PC. Additionally, there was very little info on how the Fanatec would work with the Wheel Stand Pro most reviews that featured a wheel stand understandably used the Fanatec Rennsport Wheelstand.
If you read all the forum comments about this wheel you will get the idea they are great when they work but have all sorts of quality control issues and customer service nightmares. It is enough to scare people off especially with the cost of the product. My thoughts are this is a very small company that went through some growing pains and most of the negative comments come from early adopters and beta testers who were working out all the problems but once this is done, a new customer should be getting an improved product and faster service. I seem to remember Act-Labs having similar issues when they released their Force RS wheels.
So, if you are interested in a perspective from a very recent Fanatec customer, with standard pedals, using exclusively the PS3, and recycling my Wheel Stand Pro from its prior job supporting my DFGT this is the place!
My background in the USA, 38 years old wife, kid, dog, house, full time job. Gaming is a very recent addition I got the PS3 at Christmas in 2009. Prior to that the last gaming console I had was an Atari 2600 (when they were new!). Last driving games I played were about 10 years ago on the PC mostly rally games. I had an Act-Labs Force RS with shifter. Then real life caught up and games went goodbye.
Now I have rediscovered my love of driving games and have been playing since the PS3 arrived at Christmas. I bought a DFGT and have enjoyed using it. I have never used a G25 or G27, so all my comparisons from the Fanatec are against the DFGT. The games I have are GT5P, NFS Shift, Grid, Ferrari Challenge, Supercar Challenge, Burnout Paradise, Dirt, Dirt 2, and Superstars V8 Next Challenge. I drive a manual transmission car in real life (BMW), but have used auto mode mostly so far in gaming. Playing in the living room on a 50 Samsung Plasma 1080p TV with 5.1 surround. I have never played online, because liking to drive in video games and being good at it are two different things Im still learning! IMO: Driving a virtual car fast is much harder than driving a real car fast because of the limited feedback you have.
So for the first installment of my review, here is the ordering experience: I placed my order at the USA webshop late in the afternoon on Friday 3/19, had an order shipping e-mail from Fanatec on Monday morning, a UPS tracking number soon followed, and the wheel arrived on Friday 3/26 in the morning. Exactly one week start to finish from California to Ohio not bad. The wheel was triple boxed two brown cardboard layers + the retail box with pictures and graphics. All the parts inside were secured with cardboard, plastic, and foam. Nothing missing. Quick start guides and drilling template were included.
Initial impressions were that the wheel seemed very well built and looked high-end.
Wheel: The motor casing was much smaller than it looks like in pictures maybe even smaller than the DFGT case. The wheel rim is nice and thick the diameter is slightly larger than the DFGT but not a huge difference.
Pedals: I bought the all in one pack that had the shifters and the standard pedal set the Clubsports are overkill even beyond the PWTS for my needs! The standard pedals are very large compared to the DFGT the spacing between pedals is better. The Fanatec pedals are very light they feel like a toy if you don't bolt on the included steel plate. I can see how they would slide around if not hard-mounted to a stand.
Shifters: The shifters look okay but the H-pattern shifter is everything you have read it was on the forums cheap feeling, hard to shift, and makes a loud click. If I start using it in games, I would invest in the upcoming Clubsport shifter if the price is reasonable. But right now I suck at shifting in games. Actually from the very limited use I had had with this wheel, shifting and clutch work feels natural but I forget to brake I have been left foot braking in video games, and even though I don't in real life I'm struggling with the transition in the virtual world. Anyway the H-pattern is somewhat of a letdown but it wasn't a surprise based on prior reviews. There is an interesting thread on a Forza forum with instructions to modify the shifter for easier shifting I might try that and post the results in a later installment of this review. Nothing really to the sequential shifter it is easy to use and feels about the same as the one on the DFGT. The paddle shifters are the black ones apparently these were redesigned from the prior silver "Clubsport" paddles last year. They are okay but nothing spectacular. Like the paddles on the DFGT they get the job done. They are small and might get in the way depending on your grip on the wheel I haven't noticed any issues yet but I have barely an hour of wheel time in.
Next up Why the Turbo S instead of the GT3RS, impressions on functionality compared to the made for PS3 DFGT, and mounting the PWTS to the Wheel Stand Pro.
Let me know if you think this is worthwhile info. Thanks,
Aaron
